Desire, faith, imagination and gratitude is a combination for many successful figures who have faced insurmountable challenges in their journeys. Every time I sit down with a young leader who never says die, I come out of that engagement full of hope.
Brayan Malik was born in Kenya in 1992. He lost his mother at two years old and his father at four years old. It was a hard life for him and his siblings who lacked basic things and slept out in the cold too many times.
At six years old, he lost his brother to drugs and later his sister also passed on after a short illness. Brian wanted to give up but something in him, something he says was like a constant fire kept burning. It sounds to me like God. He began to dream big as a boy because that was all he could afford.
He got sponsorship for his primary and secondary school. He worked odd jobs after high school to make ends meet. A friend introduced him to a civic education program as an agent for development projects ran by the government.
He also volunteered for the Brand Kenya Initiative geared towards the 2013 general election from which he heard of an entrepreneurship program by the British council.
The application required one to have a degree or some college course. I had none. All I know is that I was suicidal, hopeless and frustrated. This was my last chance at trying for anything. I was miraculously selected.
Brayan later worked for an organization as a writer and later for the One Acre Fund. He got selected to join Masinde Muliro University to pursue a BA in Sociology in 2015 funded through a HELB loan and from his own savings.
My passion for education saw me visit many schools and offer capacity building forums. I could not help but notice the debilitated state of hygiene in wash room facilities in most public primary schools.
Brayan founded Beauty in Public Primary Schools, a social enterprise whose objective is to ensure public primary schools have conducive and sustainable learning environments. The organization makes affordable soap for schools.
The soap is used in cleaning their wash rooms thus preventing diseases and giving pupils a conducive environment. They have reached 1,500 pupils so far. His idea was backed and developed by a Norwegian team.
He is an alumnus of Vijana Reloaded and YALI RLC 2017. Brayan was also part of a youth committee for the UN on developing a declaration on education and curriculum which was passed.
Our vision is to create a conducive learning environment for public primary schools especially in the rural areas. We intend to work with the government and policy makers in penetrating as many schools as possible. I always encourage the youth to dream big and never to give up. To apply, engage people and opportunities that sometimes sound like they are out of your league, you might be pleasantly surprised. I never would have imagined being selected for the prestigious YALI program. It changed my life, literally. The networks, learning experience and leadership skills have made me a better leader. I think differently now.
Keep up the good work Brayan. Africa needs young leaders who never say die.
